So
first relax and allow your body to relax. See your pleasant face
and tell your mind you are taking some time for yourself. Then
you feel veerum on your breath and build the rhythm of your breath
within you. Slow down and the do brim and let the energy come
up. The energy, Which was accumulated and engaged at the lower
desires, is lifted upward. Your attention is raised to higher
levels.

Then you are
ready to begin to use the mentram Kobe, Ko means “who” and bum,
means “I”. To remove pretension, ask kebum, “Who am I?” very
gently and slowly with a relaxed feeling, you ask this question.
Probe into yourself. It is an investigation, a confrontation with
yourself. Try to see who you really are. Ask yourself if you are
what others think you are. Examine what you think you are. See
if that is not projection of what you want to be. Ask, “Why do I
want to be that? Is it my idea or someone else.

Then you repeat
kobum. Let the investigatin within yourself continue. Don’t
repeat it over and over without pausing to ruminate. Tell the
mind to come here and find out who you are.

Man’s mind can
take him everywhere. You may be sitting for meditation and your
mind will take you to the Eiffel Tower for tea. It also takes you
around your own environment: do you have the right job? The
clothes you like? The right place to live? The mind drags you
through all your different hang-ups and feelings.

You must ask,
“For what am I living? Is there really happiness in the things I
live for o r am I putting the happiness in?” Objects don’t hold
happiness. You put your happiness in them. It is a sugar
coating, which you have applied, it is your imagination. Because
of your imagination the things appear sweet, without it they
appear bland. When you go into kobum meditation, you are not just
imagining, you are knowing.

Two things happen
in this meditation. In the first stage your mind will
investigate. When it becomes tired, it will become calm, quiet;
it will give up the race. This is the second stage, when you are
able to reach your real self. To be with yourself is bliss.

When your mind
starts working for someone else, worrying about the job or the
boss or an old friend, or longing for something youdon’t have,
then say kobum. Who am I? I want to be with myself under all
circumstances. Whatever comes let it come. You are open for
beautiful gifts. If they don’t come, it does no upset you. Still
you are you. You are not shutting off the world of friends, but
you are not always craving or running after things and you are not
unhappy because you don’t get those things.

You begin
watching every moment. You don’t let anyone distrub your peace.
You watch so that your words don’t disturb anyone else. Watch so
that no one takes your precious time in vain and you don’t waste
anyone else’s time. Don’t allow anyone to put negative thoughts
in you and watch so that you do not put negative thoughts in
anyone else.

Meditation makes
you so aware of yourself that you feel your own words; you hear
the sound, the tone, the gesture, the impact. If you hear that
your tone is harsh, ask yourself: “If someone spoke to me that
way, would I like it?” That person is a human being. You are
creating pain for someone. Do you have some human feeling for the
other person?

With this
approach our relations become sweet. Many friends will come to
you because they will see that your eyes, words, feelings and
actions are very peaceful. They will see that when someone tries
to hurt you, you don’t take notice. You say, “I don’t want your
abuse,” and you leave it behind.

This wayyour
whole life changes. You become true to yourself, you have no
pretension. If you don’t like something, you have the right to
say, “No, don’t like this.” But you say it politely and gently,
not in a curt way. There is a no need to be a hypocrite; simply
say, “Thank you, but for me it does not build harmony or peace.”
Your words are not harsh because they are not in reaction.